


Samgyetang for the Idol Soul

by Nightsister



Category: VICTON (Band)
Genre: Gen, Illnesses, Manager God-do, Mentioned Apink, Mentioned Jeong Eunji, Mentioned Park Chorong, Mentioned Yoon Bomi, Seungsik/Seungwoo if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28025553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightsister/pseuds/Nightsister
Summary: Prompt #37: Everyone is sick except for Subin.
Relationships: OT7 - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49
Collections: VICFEST®—round two!





	Samgyetang for the Idol Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you mods and prompters! This was fun and I hope I followed the prompt well enough.

**7\. Byungchan**  
From what Subin remembered, and he had a good memory for such things, is that it started with Byungchan. Then again, things almost always Started With Byungchan.

“One more time,” Seungsik called out, looking a little damp but more dewy than actually sweaty. He was positively glowing, the bastard, with the only indication that he was affected at all was the bend of his back as he placed his hands on his knees.

As the others sighed and moved back into position, Sejun flopped to the floor and groaned, the noise echoing off the ceiling of the big practice room. “Nooooope,” he declared, one arm flung over his face. He panted heavily to drive the point home. “Can’t *puff* dying *puff* too much, I- OW WHAT-”

Subin kicked his dramatic roommate in the armpit again. “Get up,” he said, laughing. He looked across the room where the others were waiting. “Even Byungchan hyung-” Subin stopped. “Hyung?”

Six heads turned and watched in confusion as Byungchan slowly slid to the floor with his back against the full length mirror lining the side of the room, his head falling into his hands. He was visibly shaking.

“Byungchanie?” Seungwoo was immediately at the younger man’s side, hands fluttering from not knowing where to put them. He settled for rubbing Byungchan’s back, head lowered to try to make eye contact. “Hey. What’s wrong?” 

“No NO, not his neck again?” Chan said as he also slid to his knees on Byungchan’s other side. “You okay? What hurts?”

Byungchan raised his head and Subin felt rather than heard the gasps of the others around him, and both Seungwoo and Chan visibly recoiled. Byungchan was extremely good looking, no one doubted that, but right now he looked like he’d been hit by a truck. Subin knew that the growing fear in everyone’s eyes reflected his own as Byungchan’s face turned white and ashy in front of everyone’s eyes, the blood draining from his face. “I don’t feel so good,” he croaked. He made a face and sniffled, rubbing his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s so hot in here. Why is it so hot?”

Hanse cursed under his breath and took a step back, bumping into Sejun, who was also scrambling to get away. “Uh, Seungsik hyung-?”

“Ok. Don’t panic.” Seungsik straightened up and steadied Hanse while Sejun windmilled to regain his balance. “Subin-ah, get my phone, call God-do, please.”

Subin jogged to the far end of the room to grab Seungsik’s phone but halted when his manager strode in, clearly looking worried even behind a mask. “Where is he?” God-do asked without preamble.

Subin pointed toward the group and followed his manager, skipping a bit to keep up. “How did you know something happened?”

“I was watching,” came the terse reply. “Byungchan-ah. Let’s get you up and to the hospital, okay? Put this mask on.”

With a whirl of squeaking sneakers and a track jacket that God-do manager had retrieved from who knew where, Byungchan had quickly been half walked, half dragged out of the practice room, leaving the remaining members staring at each other in shock. Byungchan and hospital were two words that were unfortunately uttered together too many times in the immediate past, but only for his injuries. An actual illness? 

It took Hanse to voice what everyone was thinking. “Shit. What if it’s corona?” 

It wasn’t corona.

“He tested positive for streptococcus,” God-do said wearily, his face still behind a mask. He eyed his charges one by one from the head of the large conference table where they were sitting and Subin’s eyes followed around the room. They all looked healthy enough... but so did Byungchan this morning. “We still have to quarantine as he has some symptoms similar to the corona virus but his test for that came back negative.”

“Streptococcus is the illness where your throat hurts a lot,” Subin offered, as most of the others simply looked blank at their manager’s diagnosis. “My niece got it last year through her nursery school. It’s super contagious. She was really sick,” he added helpfully.

“Super contagious,” Seungsik repeated. “We have to quarantine.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Well. At least we don’t have any schedules coming up in the next couple of weeks and Byungchan’s drama is done?” He looked around at the others, who seemed similarly dumbfounded by the news. He straightened and resumed his leadership stance. “What are the next steps?”

God-do also sat up, as if stirred into action. “Byungchan is in his room, I picked up his antibiotics on the way back to the dorm, and I got some juice and water that he can keep with him,” he said, ticking each item off his fingers. He glanced at Chan apologetically. “I’m sorry, hyung, but you’ll have to move out for a bit. We can’t risk getting you sick as well.”

Chan grimaced but he nodded. “Yeah I don’t want to get it either, he said.

 **6\. Chan**  
Apparently it didn’t matter what Chan didn't want though, because the next morning he woke up with an alarmingly high fever and a throat so sore he could barely breathe. Another run to the hospital to rule out corona virus and to get a strep test, and Chan was allowed back into his room that he shared with Byungchan. 

“This sucks. I hurt all over and I’m _freezing_ ,” Chan rasped, wrapped in a fluffy blanket with little dinosaurs printed on it, looking more like a disgruntled caterpillar rather than a kpop idol. Subin had opened the front door to usher in the invalid and their poor manager God-do, laden with bags from the pharmacy. He now patted Chan’s back carefully and steered him through the room. “Let’s get you into bed. Quietly though, Byungchan hyung is sleeping.”

“Thanks Subinie,” Chan whispered. He frowned. “Agh my throat hurts.”

“I have some water,” God-do said, bringing up the rear. He handed the bags to Subin, who hefted them all to one hand. “I wouldn’t normally ask this of anyone but if you could-”

“Don’t worry hyung,” Subin said quietly. “I got this. The others are staying in their rooms for now and we’re only coming out to eat, and not all at once. I was only in the kitchen to wash my dirty dish from breakfast.” 

God-do nodded. “Good. So,” he added apologetically. “Since I need to quarantine as well, if anyone else gets sick, you have to call me on my cell. I’m being placed in a dorm two floors below you.” Seeing Subin’s pout, the manager laughed. “I know, I know. The one time I’m staying in the dorms and we can’t spend time together. I’ll see you online?”

Subin brightened. “I’ll get Sejun hyung to come on too!”

 **5\. Sejun**  
But Sejun wasn’t going to play video games for a while. Currently he was curled up in a fetal position, clammy with sweat, whimpering pathetically when Subin entered with his orange juice.

“You need water. This juice is going to hurt your throat,” he warned his hyung. “You always make bad decisions and you end up hurting yourself and deeply regretting your life choices.”

“Sssuuuubinie,” Sejun whined from under his burrito of blankets. “Make sure my sister gets my hats. She wanted one but I forget which so just… give her all of them.”

“Oh my god,” Subin sighed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands on his hips. “I don’t have the patience for you right now. I have to wait for the delivery of your medicine.” He placed the juice box on the nightstand with a thunk. “I’ll be right back.”

Leaving his annoying roommate to his juice and misery, Subin headed for the main living area. As he passed by Seungwoo’s room the door creaked open, making him jump. A pair of baleful, exhausted eyes peeked out. It was Seungwoo.

 **4 and 3. Seungsik and Seungwoo**  
“Ah, Subin-ah,” the eldest said quietly. He glanced back and pulled the door closer to his body, blocking his room from view. “I think Seungsik has what Byungchan and Chan got.” He coughed against his shoulder and immediately grimaced. “My throat is starting to hurt, too. Can you-”

“Yeah. I’ll call God-do, I think we should get the company doctor to come check on all of us,” Subin said, already pulling out his phone from his pocket. He fired off a text to the manager and looked up. “Wait, where is Seungsik hyung?” He heard a feeble sound coming from Seungwoo’s room and tried to peer inside. “Is he-?”

“Subin.” Seungwoo stepped into the hallway, pulling his door firmly shut behind him. Subin valiantly attempted to hold his ground while the other man loomed over him, but the fear of catching streptococcus and his hyung’s frankly intimidating stance was too much. Subin took a step back, eyes wide. “Could you please make sure the doctor comes and checks on Seungsik first?” Seungwoo’s voice made it a command, not a request. “He’s really not in any shape to travel anywhere, I’m getting worried about him.” 

Subin nodded, mind racing with the implications of his two oldest members… what? Getting sick together? Just being together? Hadn’t they always been together? He was shaken from his thoughts by a gentle pat to the cheek. “Subin-ah. You’re a good kid,” Seungwoo said, smiling a little. He frowned. “But how are you not sick?”

“Being the youngest of four meant that I got strep a lot when I was little,” Subin answered with a shrug. “Maybe my immunity is built up?”

Seungwoo smiled again, warmer this time. “I’ll be glad if you don’t get it at all ever again,” he said. He turned the door handle to his room behind his back. “I need to go.”

“Okay,” Subin agreed, still trying to process the idea of Seungwoo intentionally wanting to take care of Seungsik. As someone who had his own room, Seungwoo only had one bed. Subin let it go for now, making a mental note to bully his roommate into spilling his secrets after all this was over, leader or no. “I’ll send the doctor to your room first. Do you guys need-?”

“NO.” The answer came swift and assertive. Seungwoo smiled again but looked apologetic. “I mean I got him. He’s with me. I’ll take care of him. Thank you.”

Subin hid his own smile as Seungwoo hastily slipped in through the tiny opening into his room and shut the door with a thud. Continuing down the hallway, he peeked into Byungchan and Chan’s room. He could only make out two vaguely human shapes with unruly bedhead, mainly hidden under multiple blankets taken from who knew where, although on Byungchan’s bed Subin thought he recognized Eunji's soft green throw that she sometimes used in her studio.

After making sure both members were sleeping as comfortably as one could with high fevers and sore throats, Subin made his way to the living room, where he found a dazed Hanse sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. Oh no.

 **2\. Hanse**  
“Hanse hyung?” Subin called out. He slid next to Hanse on the couch and carefully jostled his arm. “Hyung?”

That startled Hanse to consciousness. “Huh? Oh, Subinie,” Hanse said, slurring a little. He made a pained face. “I think-”

Subin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from shouting. “Yeah,” he said instead. “The doctor is coming. You can’t stay out here though. Sejun hyung is also sick so take Seunksik hyung’s bed and I’ll sleep out here.” He stood and helped Hanse to his feet, grunting with the effort to keep them both upright and steady when Hanse lurched forward. “Come on, walk with me. That’s it.”

Slowly but surely Hanse was half dragged into Subin’s room, with Sejun passed out still in his fetal position, his orange juice barely touched. Subin rolled his eyes, deciding to leave the juice where it sat on the floor. No one else could drink it now anyway.

Settling Hanse meant pushing him into Seungsik’s bed and tucking him in with blankets. Hanse was still shivering a bit though, so Subin took out his phone again and made a general plea to his manager and then to his Apink noonas, hoping they’d take pity on him. Bomi came back right away with emojis that were sympathetic and supremely unhelpful, but Chorong answered with a simple “on it” that cheered Subin up more than it should have. 

**1\. Subin**  
After spending the rest of the day following the doctor’s orders and distributing bottles of water, packets of crackers, antibiotics (brought by God-do), blankets (left in a bag in the hallway by Chorong with a crooked heart and smiley face note that was undoubtedly Bomi’s creation, along with an enormous thermos), Subin quickly made himself a ham and egg scramble and opened the thermos. As the still hot soup wafted into his face, he felt almost weak with happiness and love for his thoughtful noonas. It was samgyetang, and memories of his elder noona making the fragrant soup for him when he was ill almost brought tears to his eyes. Wow, but he was _tired_. 

Devouring his meager meal, Subin made one last round to see if anyone needed anything, although he was definitely going to ignore any of Sejun’s requests for acidic fruit drinks. Thankfully, all the rooms were dark with varying sounds of sleep. Seungsik, nestled quite firmly and tellingly in Seungwoo’s arms, was even snoring a bit - and how Seungwoo managed to stay asleep through that was surprising and yet, given what Subin learned over the course of the day, wasn’t surprising at all. He awkwardly shielded his eyes from the terrifying and hideous potentially romantic situation and quickly set up the humidifier to ease the dryness. Fleeing from Seungwoo’s room, Subin nearly staggered back to the living room, exhausted and still hungry, determined to end this marathon of a sucky day with a bowl of soup and maybe a drama.

He actually jumped and cursed when he turned the corner and found Chan sitting on the couch, wrapped in his dinosaur blanket with his favorite oversized Digimon mug in his hands, watching YouTube on the TV. He looked up, unsmiling. Even annoyed as he was, Subin’s heart lurched at seeing his typically happy-go-lucky hyung look so… unemotional. Chan tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, letting the entire world know how he felt at any moment. The exceptions to that were his dark periods, when he would hide away and throw up invisible signs warning people to stay back. Sejun, Byungchan, and oddly Seungsik were the only ones who could truly get through to Chan in those moments, but Subin also knew what to do. And he did it now.

“Tired of sleeping?” he asked, sitting close but not too close. 

Chan shrugged and rubbed his eyes, his mug sitting on the pillow on his lap. “I was hungry,” he said. “Who made the soup?” He took a small sip. “It’s really good.”

“I think it was Chorong noona,” Subin said, leaning back. It was good to get off his feet. He glanced at the TV, which was playing something completely indescribable. Ducks on a golf course? “You don’t want to go back to-”

“Nah,” Chan said, taking another sip and fishing out pieces of chicken with a spoon. He indicated with his head at another spoon and a mug sitting on the table, the Black Panther one that Seungwoo bought for Hanse on his birthday last year. “There’s soup for you too.”

Touched, Subin picked up his mug and inhaled. The samgyetang filled his nostrils and immediately he felt uplifted, the ginseng and other spices cutting through the malaise of the horrible day. “Thank you hyung,” he said, spooning out some broth with a piece of chicken for himself. 

They ate in silence, with the ridiculous YouTube video that Chan had chosen playing in the background, something so nonsensical that Subin was quickly lost. He concentrated on eating instead, finishing with astonishing speed. He hadn’t realized he was so hungry. Chan, who had finished his soup before him, sat quietly, sometimes glancing at the screen but mostly watching Subin eat.

“What”? Subin asked, embarrassed and remembering the self conscious days when he wore braces. “Is something stuck in my teeth?” 

But Chan only shook his head, still grave and unsmiling. “No,” he replied. He turned off his bizarre YouTube video and scrolled for a while, finally stopping on an old episode of Mr. House Husband that was in his recommendations. “Why would YouTube want me to watch a kimchi making video?” he complained.

And before it even registered, Subin laughed. “Ah, hyung,” he said, turning to Chan. “You really want to go back to watching that weird duck show?”

To Subin’s surprise, Chan chuckled in response. “No, I suppose not,” he admitted. He made a pout and patted the pillow still on his lap. “But you must be so tired,” he said. “Leave the mugs for me later and lie down for a while.” Seeing the hesitation on Subin’s face he added, “I still have a fever but I’ll wear my mask.” He reached into the pocket of his pajama top and pulled out the item, hooking it over his ears and settling it on his face. His eyes managed a faint twinkle. “See? You really should lie down. Um, I could leave if you want-?”

“No, it’s fine,” Subin said quickly, and he realized he actually meant it. He stretched out on the couch and laid his head on the pillow on his hyung’s lap, Chan’s fingers immediately starting to card through his hair. Subin sighed and closed his eyes, and allowed himself to relax for the first time since yesterday’s practice, the tension and anxiety of the day melting away as Chan gently scritched his scalp. 

The last thing Subin heard before unconsciousness took him was Chan grumbling yet again about his childhood kimchi trauma and how no one understood how awful it was that a beloved national dish was something he just couldn’t eat, much less touch or even smell and why did no one sympathize with his pain? and finally, finally, Subin fell asleep, a smile on his face.


End file.
